Second Chance
by Lilly Winters
Summary: Regret is such a heavy burden. Vlad is finally realizing just how heavy it can be. He can only hope that a certain young teenager believes in second chances and can find it in his heart to forgive him. Danny and Vlad Friendship fic.


**A/N**

**Hi again! I know I just did a fanfic based on Vlad and it was a Vlad and Danny friendship fic, but I just couldn't resist. I LOVE Danny Phantom and Vlad has always been my favorite character so it made sense to me ^-^. This is a Danny and Vlad Friendship Fic. NO SLASH! I never do those. **

**Enjoy and Review!**

**I do not own Danny Phantom or the characters. This is a purely fan-made story for the entertainment of my awesome fans :D.**

The tip of his boot met an icy puddle as he stepped down onto the sidewalks. It splattered and droplets immediately flew into the air and onto the lone man. He ignored the numbing sensation as the cool water slowly creped through the fabric of his clothes and the chill crawled into the very core of his body. Occasionally, a bystander would glance at the man, raise an eyebrow in confusion, and be on their way. Through the pale skin and exhausted eyes, they did not recognize this man to me the famous Vlad Masters.

His eyes flickered up to their faces for but a moment before returning back to the sidewalk. Their scoffs were doing nothing for his mood. A lady and her husband in particular threw him off.

"Maybe if he got a job, he wouldn't look so rough," the women mumbled inaudibly. At least, she thought Vlad could not hear her until he spun around to face them.

"Excuse me, but would you like to say that louder so that I may hear you?" he hissed.

The two exchanged a bitter glare for the comment before walking away.

"Yes. Walk away!" he swat his arm irritably. "I always have my wealth and fame to return to so why would I ever need companionship?" The sarcasm was so thick, he could feel it lay on his shoulders before completely smothering his soul and mind. True, he did have his wealth and he did have the fame, but that could never make up for what he really wanted. The cold November air snapped through his silver hair, causing it wrestle about until finally resting once the wind left.

He happened to glance up for only a moment, though it only took a moment for his shoe to catch hold of the uneven sidewalk, causing him to trip. He shoved his hands forward, just in time to catch himself.

"Go on! Make me fall!" he hissed at the sidewalk. "Everyone else relishes the idea of my downfall…"

He stood and briefly ran his hands over the thin jacket that rested lifelessly around the frame of his torso. People who had been walking close by smothered their laughter and mockery with their hands cupped over their mouths and continued their walk. He gritted his teeth, the pressure running harshly within his jaw. _If only they knew what I could do to them_, his thought to himself. With the amount of anger he had, he was beginning to feel his ghost-half pressing to come out. He swept the anger and the feeling aside, deciding it would not be best to release the ghost at the moment.

Suddenly, his ghost sense floated from his mouth, alerting him of the presence of another ghost nearby. He glared behind and upward at the sky. As soon as he did, he caught sight of the young teenager, Danny Phantom. Unaware of why, he was surprised yet pleased to see him. Danny, too, saw him, yet he was not content with Vlad's presence. He landed and got into fighting position. The streets were already empty by the time the phantom-teenager had arrived so he paid no mind to the fact that it would appear the famous 'ghost boy' was harming an innocent bystander.

"Vlad," he spat, "what are you doing here?"

"I am not here to fight you, Daniel." His face remained emotionless as he replied calmly.

"Obviously, you aren't here for a leisurely stroll either," he accused.

The man shrugged and stepped closer to which Danny backed away and prepared to fight.

"Even though that is exactly what I am doing, it would not matter to you. You would not give me the time of day to explain my reasoning."

"Well, duh," Danny replied matter-of-factly. "Why should I? You've hunted me down ever since day one."

Vlad's face fell.

"I…I suppose you are right…" he stuttered.

Danny stared at him, confused. He watched as Vlad turned his back to him and peered at the sidewalk.

"Do you regret your life, Danny?"

The teenager found it difficult to hear him as his voice came out a grave whisper. He also found it hard to believe that he called him the name that everyone, including Jack Fenton, called him.

"What do you mean?" he hesitated.

He faced Danny once more and shook his head.

"Do you wish you could redo it? Take it all back?"

"I-I don't think so. I don't know," he was confused.

"Be grateful if you don't. Regret is…," he stammered and tripped over his words. "…is one of the most torturous feelings of this world."

Danny did not know how to reply. After his last comment, Vlad could see him relaxing slightly until he changed into normal altogether. The blue rings skimmed in each direction until his usual white shirt, blue pants, and black hair returned to view.

"You really didn't come here to cause trouble, did you?" he questioned slowly.

Vlad shook his head solemnly, glancing at the sidewalk.

"Sometimes I think it would be better if this world would just forget me."

He covered his face with his hand, drowning in the shame of being so weak in front of someone else; that someone else being his supposed enemy. Though, he never thought of Danny as an enemy. He thought of him more as a son. But he was also a reminder. A reminder that he would never have his friendship, his trust, or his understanding. He leaned against the building that stood behind him and closed his eyes tightly. Expecting the boy to walk away, he was surprised to find the sound of footsteps fading absent. Instead, a hand rested on his shoulder. When he opened his eyes, Danny Fenton stood before him, shocked, but understanding.

"Maybe that's all anyone needs," Danny finally said, "a second chance."

Vlad stared at the boy in confusion. Though what he had just said sounded very familiar, he did not let it show as he remained speechless. Danny did not need any further words as his hand remained on his shoulder and he led the way to his house.

_Finally_, Vlad's mind whispered, _my second chance has finally arrived…_

**A/N**

**So how was it? I actually really liked it ^-^. Oh and in case you didn't know/remember, when Vlad said the statement Danny made about 'giving someone a second chance' sounded familiar, I was referring to the series where Danny said that to Vlad when the future was all messed up. I don't remember the episode right off the bat, but hopefully you know what I mean. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it!**


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